Reading List

A crowdsourced bibliography from Philadelphia educators pairing children’s books with the civic themes they teach, from becoming a change agent to understanding the electoral process, for further reading beyond the core lesson list.

Centers on student voice and civic responsibility, asking students to identify a rule at home, school, or in their community they’d like to change and think through how to advocate for that change.

Neighbors transform a trash-filled vacant lot into a community garden. Tied to a day of service honoring Dr. King, students discuss youth civic engagement and brainstorm ways to improve their own neighborhood.

Opens with a “minute mystery” warm-up before following Grace’s class election campaign. Students discuss the choice to vote, weigh candidates’ promises, and reflect on what makes someone an active citizen.

Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s climate activism, alongside other young changemakers like Marley Dias and Mari Copeny, this lesson encourages students to see themselves as capable of driving real-world change.

Opens with a warm-up “minute mystery” before exploring everyday moments, like littering or teasing, where a bystander could step in. Students consider what it means to be the “somebody” who helps.

Students listen to or read Dr. King’s 1963 speech and reflect on how far the country has come toward his vision of freedom and equality, and what dream they hold for its future.

Written with a 2nd-grade collaborator, this lesson uses Maddi’s empty fridge to introduce food insecurity, asking students to define the term in their own words and consider what they’d do if they were hungry.

Explores Dr. King’s commitment to nonviolent protest through a local-government S.T.A.R. Card exercise, asking students to weigh both sides of a hypothetical school board decision before discussing the book.

The true story of Georgia Gilmore, who funded the Montgomery Bus Boycott by selling pies from “the Club from Nowhere.” Students consider how one person’s skills can fuel meaningful community change.

Tells the story of Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian in New York City, who worked to make libraries welcoming spaces. Students discuss barriers to access and ways to champion fairness in their own communities.

Looking at the 19th Amendment and the voting-rights struggles that continued for women of color afterward, students learn about suffrage activists and discuss ongoing challenges to voting access today.

Tells the true story of Dorothy Vaughan, a “human computer” at NASA who advocated for fair wages and recognition. Students connect her story to Dr. King’s work on labor rights and workplace fairness.

Duncan’s crayons “quit” to voice their frustrations peacefully. Students connect the story to Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolent action and consider how to use their own voice for positive change.

Neighbors build a garden on a vacant lot, only to have it threatened by developers. Students learn the difference between advocating for themselves, for others, and for broader community change.

Centers on Dr. King’s belief that voting is the foundation of democracy, using a local-government S.T.A.R. Card about election-commissioner duties to connect the book’s story to real civic institutions.

The true story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a nine-year-old who joined the Civil Rights Movement, set against the history of segregation. Students connect her courage to youth activists making change today.

Inspired by Dr. King’s fight against hunger, this lesson follows a boy volunteering at a soup kitchen and helps students understand food insecurity and the impact of small acts of kindness.